The present invention relates to a walker/wheelchair which is both powered and portable. Walkers and wheelchairs, in combination, are exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,102 which is classified in U.S. Class 180, Sub-Class/65.5.
Wheelchairs have been known for years. In addition, the wheelchairs have been powered in various forms. Also, walkers of various kinds have been used. The most common walker has a pair of inverted hairpin shaped portions joined in the middle by crossbars. The user lifts the walker every time he wants to move. However, the advantage of such walkers is that they can be folded for carrying in the trunk of the car, or storage out of the way at home. While there is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,102 a combination wheelchair and walker apparatus which is also powered, it becomes apparent from a study of the structure that it cannot be made portable or folded into a compact configuration for storage or for carrying in a vehicle. In addition, while there is a back support, the back support precludes the folding of the unit, and also it becomes clumsy in the walker mode. What is truly needed is a powered walker and wheelchair combination which can also be folded for storage, for carrying in a vehicle, or otherwise reducing the space taken by the unit when not in use. A further desirability is to provide such a combination walker and wheelchair which can be easily powered by hand controls in either direction and even more importantly can be steered in almost infinitely variable patterns.
The present invention derives from the employment of an A-frame which has a driven a leg and a rolling leg which join at a vertex. Rising from one of the legs there is a control handle assembly. A motor, or optionally two motors, are provided at the lower portion of the driven leg of the A-frame. A caster wheel extends from the bottom of the rolling leg. Provision is made for a seat which is secured at its rearward portion to the seat support spreader. Hand controls are provided on the handle support which in turn control the operation of at least one motor driven wheel, or optionally, two separate motors driving two wheels. The two legs, the driven leg and a rolling leg, are joined at a pivot point at their vertex. Beneath the pivot point is a leg bridge which folds, thereby permitting the bridge beam to be raised upwardly which subsequently permits the driver wheel-caster arrangement to move in close proximity to each other while the seat folds upwardly and the entire unit transfers itself into the portable or folded mode. Optionally, a retractable footrest for the wheelchair mode serves as a standard ride support in the walker mode.
In view of the foregoing is it a principal object of the present invention to provide a portable walker wheelchair which is highly maneuverable in a powered mode and yet portable for easy carrying or storage. Yet a related object of the present invention is to provide such a walker wheelchair which also requires a low amount of battery power so that its maneuverable range is extended without sacrificing a significant amount of weight reduction and therefore power consumption. A related object of a standing walker is also achieved.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a powered portable walker wheelchair which may be assembled from several readily formed tubular metal parts and does not require special-purpose tooling which in turn will increase the cost of production.
Not lastly, a further object of the present invention is to provide a method for folding the unit for storage which can still be undertaken by the partially handicapped user.